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' W. L. SMITH.

ARTIFICIAL TOOTH.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 13. IBIQI Patented Sept. 16, 1919.

Allegheny and State of WESLEY LINFOIRID SMITH, 0F PTTTSIBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

ARTIFICIAL TOOTH.

Specification of Letters Iatent.

Patented Sept. 16, 1919.

Application filed March 13, 1919. Serial No. 282,395;

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WESLEY LINFORD SMITH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburgh in the county of invented a new and useful Improvement 1n Artificial Teeth; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to artificial teeth, and has special reference to the securing pins ordinarily employed in such teeth and to the means for anchoring such pins in place in the body of the tooth.

The object of my invention is to provide a cheap, simple and eflicient anchoring means for the securing pin of an artificial tooth, which will retain such pin securely in position against the ordinary strains to which the tooth may be SIIDJBCiIGCl, and will provide such an anchoring means for the securing pin, which will be easy to place in position. a i

A still further object of the invention is to provide such an anchoring means for the securing pin of the tooth that the use of the means will greatly facilitate the manufacture of the tooth and its attached securing pin and will insure a stronger and better anchorage for such pin.

To these ends my invention consists, gen erally stated, in the novel arrangement, construction and combination of parts, as hereinafter more fully set forth and described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

To enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to construct and use my improved artificial tooth, I Wlll describe the same more fully, referring to the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows anenlarged sectional view of a mold for formingartificial teeth; having my invention employed therewith;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view showing the peg employed in the mold andthe an choring cup carried thereby, the peg and cup being shown separated from each other for clearness;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section through an artificial tooth, showing the condition of the same after the molding and fusing or biscuiting operation and before lfennsylvania, have around said pegs.

the securing pin is attached within the same; and i Fig. 4 is a similar section showing the completed tooth.

Like symbols of reference herein indicate like parts in each of the figures of the drawings. a a

As, illustrated in the drawings A represents the mold for practising my invention which consists of an upper mold-member l and a lower mold-member 2, such members being so constructedas to form a chamber 3 between the same when placed together by a the mold cavities 4E and 5 in the mold memhers I and 2, and such chamber being of the shape of the tooth B hereafter described which is to be produced in said molding means A. The wall of the cavity 4 in the mold member 1 forms the front face a of such tooth and the wall of the cavity 5 in the mold member 2 forms the back face 5 of the tooth. In the lower moldmember 2 are mounted one or more pegs 6 which are provided with shanks 7 thereon and which are embedded in the body of said mold member. It is customary to employ two of these pegs 6 and they are disposed one beside the other. pegs 6 which extend beyond the body of the mold-member 2 and into the cavity 5 of the same is rounded, as at 8, and is adapted to have supported thereon the anchoring cup 9. This cup is formed of platinum or other suitable refractory material, is of circular form in cross-section, andis provided with the dished or rounded bottom or base 10 and the sidewall 11, which extends out in a con tinuous straight line therefrom and has the lipor flange 11 at its end edge.

The anchoring cup 9 is mounted upon sothat the rounded end 8 on said pegs fits against the rounded bottom or base 10 on said cup and the side wall 11 of said cup fits After the cup 9 is thus in place, the cavity 5 of moldmember 2 is filled with the plastic compositionof which the body of the tooth B hereafter described is composed, and the cavity 4: in the moldmember 1 is likewise packed with such composition. The mold members 1 and 2 are then superimposed one upon the other, as

shown in Fig. 1, and are placed in a mod- The end, of each of the erately heated press, where they are subjected to pressure, so that the effect of such heat and pressure to which the composition is subjected in such press is to compact the composition into a homogeneous mass, and to dry out the moisture from the composition. This is generally known asthe biscuiting operation, and after the same is completed, the mold A is removed from the press and opened. The tooth B is now withdrawn from the mold A, which will allow the pegs 6 to retain their connection with mold,member 2, thereby leaving holes 12 in such tooth extending inwardly from the back face 6 of the same, and at the bottom of such holes the anchoringcups 9 are embedded in the composition of the tooth, with the outer end flange 11 of the wall 11 on such cups abutting against a shoulder 13 formed in such tooth by the composition forming the same. The tooth B thus formed is then heated to a high degree of temperature in the usual manner to effect the fusing operation, and after such operation is completed the tooth will be in the condition shown in Fig. 3, and with the anchoring cup 9 firmly embedded at the bottom of each hole 12, and in order to complete the tooth a small quantity of solder, such as 16, is dropped into each of the holes 12 and through the cup onto the concave rounded bottom B of such cup. The securing pins 14 having heads 14; are then placed in the holes 12 and such pins have the flattened ends 15 opposite the heads 14:, which ends contact with the solder on the rounded bottom 10 on the anchoring cups 9, and in the cavity or space formed between said bottom and said ends after such pins 15 are in place, and the tooth B is subjected to a further temperature suflicient to melt the solder in such cups 9, and when such temperature is obtained, such pins are forced down through the holes 12 and wall 11 and against the solder 16 in the space formed by the bottom 10 on such cups to make a soldered joint between pin ends 15 and said bottom. Such flattened ends 15 on the pins let will thus engage firmly with the solder 16 on the concave rounded bottom 10 on the cups 9 and thereby obtain a secure soldered joint between the pins 14: and the anchoring cups 9 to form the completed tooth B, with the pins 14 thus rigidly connected with the body 0 of the tooth and ready for connecting such tooth to the usual vulcanite plate in the usual manner through such pins.

It will thus be seen that in the use of my improved tooth a larger soldering surface will be maintained between the end of the securing pin and the anchoring cup than is generally found in the use of the ordinary anchoring device, and does away with the employment of special shaped anchoring plates and securing pins, which are expensive and laborious to manufacture, ,while the shape of the base of the anchoring cup and end of the securing pin engaging therewith by means of the solder will insure a more perfeet and stronger union between the pin and anchorage by reason of the solder being able to flow more readily and equally to all parts of the cup base and pin end.

It will also be seen that the particular form of anchor and securing pin will do away with the difiiculties generally met with in holding the anchor in an immovable position with respect to the peg or other means for supporting the same during the molding operation, as the shape of the bottom of the anchoring cup and bottom end of the peg prevents any relative movement between. the cup and peg during the molding operat1on.

It will further be obvious that. the wall of the anchoring cup will guide the peg and securing pin to place in the cup and assist in firmly holding the cup in position on the peg during the molding operation, as well as enable the securing pin to have a good support when anchored in the tooth, while such wall will also give a long continuous bearing to the pegs in supporting the cup and will steady and grip the cup on the peg during the molding operation. The flange or lip on the edge of the wall. on the cup will also insure a stronger anchorage of the cup in the porcelain of the tooth by thus forming a larger and greater bearing against the shoulder in the tooth.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An artificial tooth having a body portion provioled with a hole therein, and an anchorin cup embedded in said body and containe in said hole, said cup having a rounded bottom and a side wall extending outward from the same, the concave side of said bottom being toward the opening of said hole and adapted to form a pin-securing cavity therein.

2. An artificial tooth having a body poi tion provided with a hole therein, and an anchoring cup embedded in said body and contained in said hole, said cup having a rounded bottom and a continuously straight side wall extending outward from the same, the concave side of said bottom being toward the opening of said hole and adapted to form a pin-securing cavity therein.

3. An artificial tooth having a body portion provided with a hole therein, an anchoring cup embedded in said body and contained in said hole, said cup having a rounded bottom and a side wall extending outward from the same with the concave portion of said bottom directed toward the opening of said hole to form a securingcavity therein, and a securing pin disposed in said hole and wall and having a flattened end and such end being adapted to be connected to solder contained in the cavity formed by the concave portion of said cup bottom.

4:. An artificial tooth having a body portion provided with a hole therein, an anchoring cup embedded in said body and contained in said hole, said cup having a round ed bottom and a continuously straight side wall extending outward from the same, with the concave portion of said bottom directed toward the opening of said hole to form a securing cavity therein, and a securing pin disposed in said hole and wall and having a flattened end and such end adapted to be connected to solder contained in the cavity formed by the concave portion of said cup bottom.

5. An artificial tooth having a body portion provided with a hole therein, an anchoring cup embedded in said body and contained in said hole, said cup having a round ed bottom and a side wall extending outward from the same, the concave side oi said bottom being toward the opening of said hole to form a pinsecuring cavity therein, and a lip on the outer end of said side wall for engaging with a shoulder in the tooth.

6. An artificial tooth having a body portion provided with a hole therein, an anchoring cup embedded in said body and con tained in said hole, said cup having a round ed bottom and a continuously straight side wall extending outward from the same, the concave side of said bottom being toward the opening of said hole to form a pin-securing cavity therein, and a lip on the outer end of said side wall for engaging with a a shoulder in the tooth.

.7. An artificial tooth having a body portion provided with a hole therein, an anchoring cup embedded in said body and contained in said hole, said cup having a roundedbottom and a side wall extending outward from the same with the concave portion of said bottom directed toward the opening of said hole to form a securing cavity therein, a securing pin disposed in said hole and walland having a flattened end to said rounded bottom, such end bein adapted to be connected to solder containe in the cavity formed by the concave portion of said cup bottom, and a lip on the outer end of said side wall for engaging with a shoulder in the tooth.

8. An artificial tooth having a body portion provided with a hole therein, an anchoring cup embedded in said body and contained in said hole, said cup having a rounded bottom and a continuously straight side wall extending out from the same with the concave portion of said bottom directed toward the opening in said hole to form a securing cavity therein, a securing pin disposed in said hole and wall and having a flattened end and such end bein adapted to be connected to solder contained in the cavity formed by the concave portion oi": said cup bottom, and a lip on the outer end of said side wall for engaging with a shoulder in the tooth.

In testimony whereof, I, the said W. LIN- ronn SMITH have hereunto set my hand.

i W. LINFORD SMITH.

Witnesses:

ALFRED SIMONS,

GEORGE A. MoKmer-rr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

